Bob Riker took over the Brother Rice baseball program in 1998. The 1985 Rice graduate initially wasn’t really sure he wanted the job.

It took a couple of years to get the Warriors up and running. In fact, Rice had losing records in his first two years — 15-19 in 1998 and 15-17 in 1999.

“I was the assistant coach for eight years and then I took over in 1998,” Riker said. “(Former head coach) Ron (Kalczynski) stepped down. He wanted to see (his sons) Brian and Joe play at Michigan and Michigan State. He said, ‘It’s your team’ and I said, ‘I don’t want to be the coach.’ But Ron said, ‘It’s your time to give back’ and I kind of took that to heart.

“I was just trying to make it through one year at first. Trust me, that first year was pretty hazardous for me. Stepping in after a guy like Ron, you just try not to screw it up and try to build upon the foundation he laid for the program.

“Now here I am, 20-some years later, trying to give the kids an opportunity to do something that they probably dreamed about since the minute they picked up a baseball,” he added.

Since those non-descript opening years, Riker has turned Brother Rice baseball into a perennial powerhouse. The Warriors have not suffered a losing season since the turn of the millennium and have won 24 or more games for 16 straight seasons.

Recognized at Comerica

As a result of that overwhelming success, Riker is one of six coaches who comprise the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame’s Class of 2016. The veteran mentor was introduced to the crowd Thursday and officially recognized as a Hall of Fame inductee prior to the 34th annual East-West All-Star Classic at Comerica Park.

“It’s a very, very special honor. I never thought I was going into coaching, let alone be here tonight,” said Riker, who was thankful for the nomination from Grosse Pointe South head coach Dan Griesbaum. “But I attribute it to a few things, one of them being having really good players and having two of them (Karl Kauffmann and Mitchell Tyranski) in the game tonight to watch is going to be extra special for me.

“It’s the players who get you here and I would be remiss if I left out my high school coaching staff. They are the best. I mean, Brian Kalczynski and Ron Kalczynski, they know more about baseball than anybody else I have ever been around. And having the likes of them on my staff and having this journey with them along my side, has been the best. And then all of the other supporters and backers of our program, too.

“And to have some others who have not been there quite as long, but to have guys like Dan Petry, who played in the big leagues for so long, to have him on your staff is amazing,” he added. “That’s why I’ve been blessed with this honor. It’s the players and the coaches I’ve had. It’s a very special thing and it’s more than just an individual award.”

Kauffmann, who was named to the 2016 MHSBC Dream Team, indicated it was a special honor to have played for Riker during his four-year high school career.

Kauffmann finished his senior year this season with an 8-0 record and a sizzling 0.87 ERA. The University of Michigan-bound right-hander helped lead Rice to a 30-8 record and was the winning pitcher in Rice’s fifth straight Catholic League championship May 26 at Comerica.

“That is really cool to see coach Riker get into the Hall of Fame,” said Kauffmann, who threw a no-hitter this year for Riker’s 500th career win. “We’ve had a special relationship for four years. We’ve come a long way together.

“And just the whole experience of playing with him and getting to know him and I’ve really become a friend with him. He’s not just a coach to me,” he added. “It really was different than a lot of relationships you have with players and it’s really something I will cherish. He’s a friend who will be there for me.”

An amazing record

Riker played prep baseball at Brother Rice for Ron Kalczynski, the coach he would eventually replace. Riker went on to play at Central Michigan University and was drafted by the Detroit Tigers.

After playing minor league baseball in the Tigers’ organization, he returned to Brother Rice to work as an assistant under Kalczynski. Since taking over as head coach, Riker’s teams have compiled an astounding 520-186-2 record for a sizzling .737 winning percentage.

During that stretch, Brother Rice has won a Division 1 state championship, brought home two state runner-up trophies and has won eight Catholic League championships. The Warriors have captured 10 district championships, five regional championships and have appeared in the final four of the state tournament four times.

Riker has sent a long list of players on to college ball, including 43 over the past 14 years. Six of them have gone on to play professionally, including D.J. Lemahieu (2007) who played in last year’s All-Star Game for the National League as a member of the Colorado Rockies.

Riker is an 11-time Catholic League Coach of the Year and state Coach of the Year in 2003. He is one of just five baseball head coaches in Brother Rice’s storied history — the others being Brother Crimmins (one year), Brother Wielatz (five years), Al Fracassa (12 years) and Kalczysnki (16 years).

“My playing days are over and I’m just trying to give the kids an opportunity to achieve their goals and their dreams of playing this game as long as they can,” Riker said. “That’s what it’s all about for me. The relationships I’ve built with these guys is what keeps me going.

“To be one of the five head coaches in Brother Rice history is really special for me,” he added. “I live and breathe black and orange. I always have. I wouldn’t ever see myself in any other place.”

Rice’s Riker recognized

WHO: Brother Rice baseball head coach Bob Riker

WHAT: A member of the Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame Class of 2016

ACHIEVEMENTS AS HEAD COACH: 520-186-2 overall record in 19 years; 11-time Catholic League Coach of the Year; State Coach of the year in 2003; One state championship (2008); Ten district and five regional titles; Eight Catholic League crowns, including the past five in row; 43 players who went on to play college baseball.